On Nov. 23, parliament failed to elect a new president, leaving the seat vacant for the first time. The Lebanese government has assumed the duties of the president until parliament elects a new leader.
“Despite the political turmoil, almost all Lebanese regard the LAF as the best guarantee for the country’s future and stability,” a senior Lebanese military official said.
In September, Lebanon ordered 40 Leopard-1 tanks and 32 YPR armored infantry fighting vehicles with 25mm guns and spare parts that were “offered by Belgium at a bargain price”
The money will come from what remains of the $100 million donated by Saudi Arabia in June to help the military crush an al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist group called Fatah Al-Islam in northern Lebanon.
The official said Beirut is now waiting for Brussels to clear its own crisis — Flemish and Francophone parties failed to agree on a coalition government following general elections earlier this year — and officially endorse the transfer. Belgium will replace the Army-surplus vehicles with variants of the Mowag Piranha-III.
The LAF is still looking for fighter jets — perhaps Jordanian or Saudi F-5E/Fs — to replace five old Hawker Hunters that have been grounded for years by a lack of spare parts.
“There are a number of old but fairly good jet fighters available in the market that the LAF could get for either free or very low prices, but the problem is that the best offers are American-built, which means Washington would need to give its approval for the transfer to Lebanon, and that is a problem now,” one Lebanese Air Force officer said.
A U.S. Embassy official here said giving Lebanon fighters & offensive weapons would require a policy review. The US embassy is concerned that these weapons could fall into the hands of Hezbollah, which is considered stronger than the Lebanese army .
Meanwhile, Lebanon will save money on advanced pilot training by sending five to 10 Air Force pilots to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has offered to provide training free of charge on its Hawk jets, the Air Force officer said. Such training would cost thousands an hour at European countries, as initially planned, the official said.
“The UAE has been very generous to the LAF. First, it gave nine U.S. Gazelle helicopters, and now the training,” the official said.
Discussions are under way with companies to overhaul and maintain five Bell-212 and three Puma helicopters.
Sources: defensenews.com